Musical that brings the 1800s Donegal to life goes on a county tour

A musical based on life in Donegal during the early 1800’s will be going on a county tour.

Blue Wall Theatre Company will present special performances of the new musical At The End Of The Day in August and September.

At The End Of The Day will be performed in the Bruckless Community Centre, Bruckless on August 19, Arranmore Community Centre on August 28, and Abbey Arts Centre, Ballyshannon on September 5th. More dates may follow.

At The End Of The Day is a new musical based in South-West Donegal, and provides a look at life in Donegal during the early 1800s. Inspired by the patchwork quilt 'Love Across The Waves' by Arranmore and Tir Boghaine Women's Groups, the plot mainly follows the relationship of Matthew Lyons played by Shay Rowan, and Nuala Green, played by Éabha McGuinness, from the time they first meet, to the time they become engaged to be married, and also the events leading up to their meeting, including the Bruckless drownings, and the economic conditions of the time.

The musical is set in times when the norm is for two sets of parents to get together in order to arrange a 'match' between their son and daughter. Matthew, from Teelin, and Nuala from Arranmore Island, in what might be considered to be a long-distance relationship in the 1820s, make their own match by falling in love.

When Matthew proposes to Nuala, the answer is undoubtedly 'yes', but there is a clause - Nuala wants to get her parents' blessing first. Matthew is anxious to know if their blessing is given, so Nuala arranges to light a bonfire, if the answer is positive, on a hill near her home, on Arranmore Island. Matthew will be able to see the bonfire from Glen Head, near his home.

The cast features Sinéad O’Donnell-Carey as the notorious Biddy Devenney, who sought revenge after being refused free fish by the fishermen at Darney Pier. Conor Gallagher and Keith Robinson are George Vaughan Hart and Henry Francis Conyngham, the members of Parliament for Donegal. Sean McDermott and Derek McDonnell join the cast as Patrick Hegarty, Matthew’s mentor, and Edward Lyons, Matthew’s father, respectively. Megan Quinn, Niamh Gallagher, and Sophie O’Donnell play Ellen, Ann and Mary Green, Nuala’s sisters; Lily Smith is Sarah Breslin; while Sinead McTernan and Tracey Faulkner portray local gossip Bridget O’Donnell on selected performances. Anthony O’Donnell, as Michael McCauley, is a nineteenth-century-style ferryman and hackney.

Original music, lyrics and book are by Leslie Long, whose last musical writing project was the AIMS award-winning musical Caisleáin Óir, and direction is by Tracey Faulkner. Amy Jordan is the choreographer for the show.

Lighting is by Tony McGuire, and sound is by Cathal Boyle and George Henderson. Denise Roper and Eileen Carr assist Leslie with musical direction of the five-piece pit band. The cast look forward to bringing this insight into the past in County Donegal to the stage.

Tickets are available at the door each night. Booking is also available for the performance in The Abbey Arts Centre, and a limited number of tickets are available on Eventbrite for the performance in Bruckless Community Centre

To find out more about the production, visit here